Sources from the Chinese Table Tennis Association said that the Chinese Ping-pong team will send 12 top players to the ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation) for Pro Tour Grand Finals, to be held January 11-14 in Yokohama, Japan.

Cai Zhenhua, head coach of the Chinese Ping-pong team, and new chiefs of the teaching and research groups for men and women players, Yin Xiao and Li Xiaodong will go with the group to the contest. Liu Guoliang/Kong Linghui, Yan Sen/Wang Liqin, and Malin/Liu Guozheng will play in men's doubles, and Li Ju/Wang Nan, Sun Jin/Yang Ying, Zhang Yining/Zhang Yingying will play in women's doubles. Of these players, the other ten, with the exception of Yan Sen and Zhang Yingying, will also play in men's and women's singles respectively.

In the last ITTF Pro Tour Grand Finals held January 2000 in Sydney, Liu Guozheng won the champion of men's singles, Kong Linghui/Ma Lin the champion of men's doubles, Li Ju/Wang Nan women's doubles, with Chen Jing of the Chinese Taipei team carrying away women's singles.

(People's Daily 01/09/01)